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Fleets urged to ultislise SUVs better

Date:
26 July 2016
|
Author: Daniel Puddicombe

The rising popularity of SUVs in the fleet market means that companies are struggling to hit cost and emissions targets, Chevin Fleet Management has warned.

Chevin said SUVs tend to have worse emissions and fuel economy figures than hatchback or saloons by around 10-20%, with the problem increasing due to a lack of alternatively-fuelled options, such as hybrids and EVs.

According to Chevin, SUVs are the best-selling type of vehicle in the UK, and the firm cited analysis from Dataforce which suggests the sector will overtake compact cars as the biggest part of true fleet sales in Europe within two years.

"SUVs have proliferated in all areas of the car market and continue to grow in popularity. There is almost no sector where they are not well represented. Today, you can even buy an SUV convertible," said Ashley Sowerby, managing director of Chevin. "Many drivers like SUVs a great deal thanks to their commanding driving position, their road presence and the fact that they are perceived as something more interesting than a family hatch or saloon."

"This puts a lot of pressure on human resources departments and fleets to add these vehicles to their choice lists but it does create a general problem," he added. "SUVs are heavier and less aerodynamic than their conventional car equivalents and, as a result, tend to use more fuel and have high emissions."

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